eighth grader taking geometry because he’s ready for it,” she says, “however in English he’s at grade level. That’s not a problem for us. Making sure all students are challenged and progressing is what we do.” But just as important to Garza is the school’s nimbleness as a whole, allowing it to take advantage of innovative developments, such as replacing the devalued AP courses with more rigorous dualcredit classes. Many high schools offer students dual-credit classes with a community college, but AESA is one of only a few that have a partnership with the University of Texas, offering a variety of classes—from microeconomics to American literature and Spanish. “College admission officers like to see that students can actually handle college course workload and demands,” she says. “Community colleges are great, but we think that UT credits on students’ transcripts mean more and are much more likely to be accepted.” Another way Garza is responding agilely to the changing world of education is by developing an eschool. Starting this year, AESA will begin offering courses online, targeted initially to students outside the Austin area who need high-quality classes but also want the flexibility to pursue other interests. The online courses will be a combination of videos of AESA teachers explaining certain lessons and live classes via Skype. “Most online courses are terrible—canned presentations and questions,” she says. “We’ll be online with an accredited curriculum that meets national standards and we know works and with a host of ways for teachers and students to communicate.” Garza says she’s launching the online school for the same reasons she originally started AESA. “In my mind schools should be set up to meet the needs of families—to take care of kids in all kinds of situations. That’s what we’re committed to doing.” Barbara Garza, AESA Prep Academy founder, has a bachelor’s in education from UT. Her experience as an educator and administrator includes teaching honors biology, supervising a variety of community service and student leadership projects at McNeil High School and serving as dean of ninth and 10th grade at St. Stephens School for five years. She is a recipient of the Governor of Texas Teaching Excellence Award. Austin Woman: Why did you choose to get into the education field? Barbara Garza: I realized when I was a student at UT, changing my major for the sixth time, that I basically loved the learning process. All my friends kept telling me not to become a teacher, that I would never make any money, and they were so right, but from the beginning I didn’t care about the money. Like most
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educators, I’ve been most passionate about making a positive difference for students. My dad, Frank Bronson, was a professor at UT for 44 years, and I am sure his love for teaching rubbed off on me as well. AW: What’s your favorite part of the day at AESA? BG: I love everything about what we do. I never wake up in the morning and think, oh there is something else I would rather be doing. AW: What experiences have you had as a teacher or administrator that have shaped your current philosophy on education? BG: Educators have been shouting from the rooftops that student-teacher ratios need to be smaller, but that requires a different mentality by those in charge. Most suburban high school teachers carry a load close to 200 students. They can barely remember all of their students’ names, let alone have the time to actually give substantial commenting on essays, give one-on-one tutoring or adapt teaching styles to fit the needs of the individual student. In large private high schools, it’s becoming close to the same scenario. And during my five years at St. Stephens, I couldn’t stand it when a family would have some great travel opportunity to a place like India, for example, but I would have to say no because of the attendance policy. I always thought, wow, how great it would be, and what a better way to learn, if teachers really had a small number of students and schools had true flexibility. AW: What do you find most challenging about being an educator today? BG: I admire any woman that is in an administrative position in the world of education. As an administrator, I have been called “sunshine,” had a coach shoot the finger at me in front of his basketball team and simply had to tough it out to gain and keep any administrative position until I created my own school. Now my challenges revolve around keeping AESA at the forefront of education. Larger, more traditional schools are simply too big to be able to change directions quickly enough. AW: Where do you see yourself and/or AESA in 10 years? BG: We have two more AESA campuses on the drawing board: AESA of Australia and AESA of the Atlantic. AESA of Australia will provide a global experience for our students and AESA of the Atlantic is going to be a research-based school for high school students. This will be located in Maine near Acadia National Park where I was raised and will be connected with the local research centers and colleges. aesaprepacademy.com
GIRLS’ SCHOOL OF AUSTIN Standing beside a desk in her fourth-grade classroom, Morgan strikes a gymnastics pose—gracefully reaching up and back and grabbing one leg kicked up behind her head—and contemplates boys. “Boys are kind of like, ‘Eww!’” says Morgan, wearing a school uniform of a purple polo and black shorts. “It’s more comfortable here with just girls.” “You can talk about anything you like,” her friend Eleanor, in a yellow polo and a skirt, chimes in. “I mean, boys can be annoying; they tease you,” Morgan continues, slowly bringing her leg down behind her. “And really, they’re not as smart as girls.” Welcome to the corner of Austin where girls can say this kind of thing without getting their hair pulled or a “wanna bet” challenge or a reprimand for provoking half the class. At the Girls’ School of Austin (GSA) girls grades kindergarten through eighth can stretch themselves in a supportive environment without the shadow boys can sometimes cast. “In an all-girl culture, students have to try on all the roles,” says Head of School Lisa Schmitt. “The smartest kid in class, the funniest kid—they are all girls.” The goal here is for students to become confident as leaders, collaborators and critical thinkers. By subtracting boys, the thinking goes, the girls gain opportunities and role models. “Students don’t think of limits, they think of opportunity. It’s very freeing that way.” The Girls’ School was founded in 2002 with five fifth- and sixth-graders attending classes in a house on Patterson Street—part of a wave of girlsonly schools opening across the country following research about how girls can be inhibited intellectually around boys. Today, the school has 130 students, 19 teachers and a shady campus in Tarrytown on the grounds of what used to be the Dill Elementary School. Studies cited by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools show that girls who attend single-sex schools (versus those in coed classes) spend more time studying; are more confident in their academic performance, public speaking and writing skills; and are more likely to choose a career in engineering. Indeed, Schmitt says students of hers have gone on to perform high on the math section of the SAT, and two of the three National Merit Scholars at McCallum High School last year were Girls’ School graduates. More than 50 percent of the seventh graders invited to take the SAT have scored high enough to be asked to join the exclusive Duke Talent Identification Program. The curriculum is well-balanced with an emphasis on creativity and fine arts, Schmitt says. But math and science are stressed also, with all students taking algebra or beyond by eighth grade. “From the early grades, girls work under the assumption that